The Other End of the Leash

The general rule is to use short, repeated notes to encourage activity and one single note to discourage it. Let's say you want your sof to come when you call. Perhaps so many of us see this as an exercise in "obedience" (translation: a test of our authority),many humans belt out the word "come" like a marine drill sergeant. If I tape-recorded the sound and analyzed it, it would look exactly like the sounds made around the world to stop animals. (...) Some of the dogs do indeed come, although some with with heads down and tails tucked, because you can eventually override biology with enough training. But why work so hard? Use a sound that inherently encourages your dog rather than discourages him and training will be more effective and, as important, fun.

Border Collies, because of their medium size and their willingness to work as a team, have be one increasingly popular pets , but they are as ill suited to most households as are mountain goats. They were bred to work the rough terrain of Scotland, running every day on expansive hillsides so green and round that make your heart sing (and your legs ache). If you don't come home from work and put on jeans and go outside for a couple of hours where your dog can safely run free, don't get a Border Collie. Gardening in the yard while your Border Collie sniffs for rabbits doesn't count. To be sane, these dogs need to run for hours and use their capable brains to solve problems.

When I first meet a dog, my primary attention is on the dog's center of gravity and his breathing. Is the dog leaning toward me, or standing square over all four paws ? Is the dog frozen still, breathing normally, or breathing too fast with shallow breaths ? At the same time, I'm looking at the dog's mouth and eyes, where there is a lot of information, but being careful not to stare directly at him. Tails are also important, but not as important as what's on his face, and you simply can't take everything at once.

The advice about using threats to get dominance over your dog is amazingly pervasive. Dog owners and trainers everywhere have picked it up, as have veterinarians, police K-9 trainers, and your neighbor down the street. I think it's useful to wonder about people who would never hit their children are so quick, even against all their instincts, to follow the advice of "experts " and get physical with their dog to gain "dominance" over her.

The best way to get a dog to come to you is to turn away from him and to move in opposite direction. This is so unnatural to us humans that I sometimes have to take clients by their sleeve and pull them away from their dog to prevent them moving forward. Dogs want to go the way that you're going, and to a dog that's the way that your face and your feet are pointing.